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Liberal Manifesto 2017 Liberal Manifesto 2017 The Liberal Manifesto, adopted by the Congress of Liberal International on 18- 21 May 2017 in Andorra, after a launching conference in Oxford in 2015, meetings of the Drafting Committee in Berlin, Taipei, New York and Marrakesh in 2016, two rounds of addenda and corrections by national liberal parties in the first quarter of 2017, discussions at a final conference in Oxford on 10 April 2017, a subsequent review and editing by John Lord Alderdice, and a final review by LI-President Juli Minoves. Contents: Preamble A Our Vision: Human Progress in a Free World B Our Challenge: New Rising Threats to Freedom C Our Response: Opportunities for Everyone, Progress for All In 1947 a group of Liberals from around the world published the Oxford Manifesto, the first international declaration of liberal principles. They did so in response to the horrors of World War II with its unprecedented physical destruction, millions of people killed, and the horrifying dehumanization represented by the Holocaust in particular. After the victory over Nazism and Fascism and in face of Communist authoritarianism, Liberals were determined to reassert human rights and values, and the Oxford Manifesto was to become a predecessor of another monumental document, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights agreed by the United Nations in December 1948. In the free world, these liberal principles paved the way for peace, the rule of law, human rights and prosperity for many people in the following decades. Individual rights were defined and developed; personal freedom was increasingly guaranteed by the fair and independent administration of law and justice; there was widening freedom of worship and liberty of conscience; freedom of speech and of the press was protected; people had freedom to associate and not to associate as they chose; there was increasing opportunity for a full and varied education according to ability and irrespective of their family of birth or the means to pay; this made a free choice of occupation a much greater possibility for many people; increasing prosperity resulted in greater opportunities to exercise the right to private ownership of property and the right to embark on individual enterprise; freedom of choice was expanded for consumers and there were greater opportunities to reap the benefit of the productivity of the land and the industry of humankind; there was more security from the hazards of sickness, unemployment, disability and old age and greater equality of rights between women and men. The success of these principles not only benefitted people in free countries but also helped to overcome communist dictatorships and the division of Europe, as well as many authoritarian and populist regimes in Latin America, Asia and Africa. In the 70 years since the publication of the Oxford Manifesto these principles have been restated by Liberal International in seven further declarations, manifestos and appeals. They constitute a major body of liberal thought from which we continue to draw inspiration and strength. Today, united in the family of Liberal International, we Liberals again fully endorse the principles set out in the Oxford Manifesto and its successors, but we do so recognizing that Liberalism is under renewed attack as a philosophy with universal application both in theory and in political practice. The attacks come from those on the left who give the state absolute priority as well as conservatives and nationalists on the right, but also from populists on both sides of the political spectrum who want an explicitly “illiberal” autocratic state that will enforce their perspectives. In addition to those who want to use the system to create illiberal societies, there are others, anarchists and violent Islamist extremists, who do not want to take over the system, but to burn the system in radical and destructive revolutions. These attacks on Liberalism and global peace and stability are not only being conducted in traditional ways, but through the new medium of cyber-space. We are living in very dangerous times and no part of the world is safe from these threats. However there are also new opportunities. The world has seen the arrival of a technological revolution and enormously increased opportunities to trade, to travel and to communicate with each other across the globe. This creates vast opportunities for humankind, lifting millions out of poverty and helping many countries liberate themselves from authoritarian leaderships. While we recognize that these opportunities bring new challenges – among them climate change, mass migration and concerns about the degree of inequality in income and wealth – Liberals embrace all opportunities and accept all challenges. During times of stability, Liberalism can evolve and grow, but during times of instability there is an opportunity for radical steps forward in our thinking. It is our task to demonstrate that Liberalism can provide the best new ideas and policies for dealing with these challenges and make the best of the new opportunities without abandoning our values and beliefs. We will fight against Illiberalism and strive for the further spread of liberal values, in the spirit of liberal universalism. This is a time to reflect, renew and reclaim our liberal aspirations and to address the current threats to freedom with liberal responses. This is what we do with the Liberal Manifesto 2017. Now Therefore We, Liberals of the World Assembled in Congress of Liberal International this Twentieth of May of Two Thousand and Seventeen in Andorra, Have Adopted the Following Manifesto: Our Vision: Human Progress in a Free World The freedom of every human being is an essential principle in achieving human progress and a better world. As a global movement, Liberalism strongly believes in human reason as the foundation of progress towards that better world. Liberalism is dedicated to the inalienable right of all people to a life in which each can determine how they wish to live. Each of us is different, and Liberalism embraces and cultivates this diversity among all the members of the human family. We see people as self-governing agents, independent authors of their own lives. Society is the arena where these authors come together, exchange ideas and opinions, learn from and come to understand each other with all our differences of interest. Society is where people develop themselves, first with parents and carers, then in whatever family group they find themselves, and then in increasingly wide community circles. Our very selves develop in social relationships. A comprehensive set of rights, freedoms, and responsibilities allows for the pluralism of beliefs and ideas, as well as the diversity in backgrounds, that nourish this richness of difference without distinction based on gender, race, age, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, disability, or any other personal or social condition. A liberal society is based not only on human rights, but on human relationships. We aim to protect liberal constitutions which operate under the rule of law and promote equal opportunities for everyone. No society can be free without freedom of expression, assembly and association. We want institutions that are democratic, accountable and capable, and that provide equal rights and freedoms for all. Under these conditions, human creativity can flourish and fuel human progress towards a peaceful, prosperous and open global society. In economic, social and environmental terms, this global society must be sustainable both now and in the long run. This requires an integrated and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems. Our Challenge: New Rising Threats to Freedom Until the turn of the 21 st century, we saw a liberal age in the making. Since then, that growing global liberal consensus has come under attack from different sides. A wave of authoritarianism, populism and fundamentalism threatens to undermine and dismantle our liberal achievements. These anti-liberal developments often feed on the suspicion that rising inequalities of power and wealth are preventing the liberal social contract from delivering fair opportunities for those who are most disadvantaged. The ability and effectiveness of the institutions of the liberal world order to meet the challenges of climate change, a growing world population and increasing migration are equally being questioned. The growing heterogeneity of many societies is cause for insecurity for many people, exacerbating their attachment to what they perceive as their core identity, and fueling suspicion and hostility towards people they perceive as different from themselves. At the same time, many people see Liberalism merely as a Western excuse for economic selfishness and irresponsibility. These trends pose a challenge to Liberalism, promoting anti-liberal norms and institutions, threatening to divide the world into warring factions, and stopping human progress. Our Response: Opportunities for Everyone, Progress for All The best response of Liberalism to these challenges is to promote equality of opportunity for all, strengthen liberal institutions and the rule of law across the globe, promote general and civic education, health care, free and fair trade and sustainable opportunities for every human being, and to cultivate responsibility and accountability across all borders. We Liberals believe in human progress based on new knowledge gained and applied as locally as possible through deliberation, cooperation and learning in the arenas
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